Some Places More Than Others by Renée Watson

An advance copy of this book made it into my hands from our local independent bookstore last spring. I immediately loved it! Always on the lookout for a book that fits the complexity we hope for our upper elementary readers without being too mature for them, Some Places More than Others hits the sweet spot.

Award winning author Renée Watson brings a rich family story to this tale of one girl growing up in Oregon who longs to know both her father’s family and their cultural heritage. Her parents think a trip to Harlem is too much for their young daughter until the convergence of a class suitcase project in family history and her father’s business trip to the NBA finals coincide. Some Places More that Others is a father-daughter bonding story. It’s a story of a girl who wants to wear Nikes and workout clothes when her fashion-designer mother is constantly making her dresses. It’s a story of what Harlem and its rich cultural history can teach all of us. It’s a story of finding your identity told with authenticity by Renée Watson.

I read this book on a first chapter Friday for Melissa Quimby’s class in January. I left the book behind for students to read and returned last month to find out what they thought.

Cool that Amara was able to find out her birth connection.

Everyone deserves a second change.

The best part was her walk with Grandpa Earl & shouting out famous people

I like that she shared her suitcase at the end.

Took me on an emotional journey. I can connect with how she tried to convince her dad to take her to NY.

It was a good idea for her to go. She learned that she wasn’t just a normal girl, she’s complicated like all of us.

She didn’t know what she was getting into. In the end, she puts her family back together.